Surgery is still being considered as a last resort for Twins third baseman Miguel Sano, who has been slow to heal from a stress reaction in his left shin.

Now approaching two months since fouling a pitch off the area around his shin, Sano would require an eight-week recovery period should he undergo a procedure more common in the NFL and NBA. A titanium rod would be inserted to stabilize the tibia, which could be why it was deemed useful late last month to have Sano visit orthopedists Martin O’Malley and Robert Anderson, better known for their work with basketball and football players, respectively.

“Surgery is an option there but we’re going to explore every other option before he has surgery,” Twins general manager Thad Levine said Tuesday at Target Field. “We have a little time there to still give him a chance to have a full offseason but we’re not going to take too much time. We wanted to evaluate that first.”

Sano’s bulk shouldn’t be a complicating factor should the surgical option be chosen, Levine said. At 6-foot-5 and somewhere north of 270 pounds, Sano’s physique is more akin to NBA frontcourt players and NFL defensive ends.

Even if Sano avoids surgery, Twins manager Paul Molitor does not see a stint in the Dominican Winter League as a necessity, even after Sano has seen 30 pitches in game action since Aug. 19.